I haven't worked on vaccines for 30 years. So, perhaps some of the other people with more current knowledge can fill in the gaps. But as a former vaccinologist, my ears perk up whenever I hear an anti-vaccer start talking about mitochondria. Here's the story, and here's the only reason why an amateur like Bobby Kennedy Jr. even knows the word 'mitochondria.'
After the first polio vaccines were introduced, one or two people actually got polio from the vaccine. Literally, one in 100 million, or a similar number. Fortunately for us, our parents had seen what the scourge of polio can do, (hospital wards full of children in iron lungs!) and thought it was better to take a chance with the vaccine than it was to take a chance with polio.
A few people sued the pharmaceutical companies that made the vaccines, and the companies stopped manufacturing vaccines because they didn't want to get sued. This led to the creation of the vaccine courts, through the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act (NCVIA) of 1986, and creation of the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP). All companies that made vaccines paid a share of their profits to a common fund; and the govt. set up a special court to determine if anyone had been damaged from a vaccine. If so, they would be awarded money from the fund. (Yes, some 'conservatives' have a problem with the idea of people not being able to sue pharmaceutical companies over vaccines. Oddly enough, those same 'conservatives' have no problem passing laws preventing people from suing gun manufacturers for damage inflicted by guns.)
One of the common tropes of the anti-vaccers is:
"If vaccines are so harmless, why does the vaccine court pay out millions every year in compensation?"
Answer:
All (but one) of those payments were awarded for injuries caused by mishandling of the vaccine, not the vaccine itself. The vial containing the vaccine got contaminated with fungus (a common one), vial wasn't refrigerated or handled properly, the needle wasn't sterile, somebody was injected with a chicken egg vaccine (influenza) without the doctor warning them about chicken egg allergies etc.
There is only ONE CASE where the vaccine court awarded damages based on the components of the vaccine itself. That's the case of Hannah Poling, who had an extremely rare mitochondrial disease that was exacerbated by thimerosal. A mercury derivative that prevents the vaccine vial from getting contaminated.
(Mitochondria are microscopic organelles found within cells. There are some very rare genetic diseases that effect mitochondria.)
Many vaccinologists thought the court should not have awarded the damages in that case. The disease is extremely rare, and I believe Hannah hadn't even been diagnosed when she got the vaccine. It's the equivalent of a color-blind man crossing the street on a red light, and getting hit by a car. Then suing the traffic light company for using red and green lights, which people with color blindness can't distinguish. Many vaccinologists thought the award would lead exactly to where we are now. With anti-vaccers nailing Hannah Poling to their flag, and causing a lot of misery.
So here we are: There are FOUR WORDS that every anti-vaccer knows.
1. Andrew Wakefield (his study was disproven by the 'Danish' NEJM study)
2. Hannah Poling
3. Thimerosal (which was safe, but which is no longer used anyway, to appease the antivaccers)
4. Mitochondria